Hey friends, Gubba here.
I love chickens, and I share repeatedly how everyone needs chickens. I understand that isn't possible, so the next best choice is to get the eggs from somewhere. So let's dive in to how to choose quality eggs and my soy and corn free chicken feed recipe!
If you’ve ever cracked open a store bought egg and felt something was missing, you’re not alone. Maybe the yolk looked pale. Maybe the flavor felt flat. Maybe your body just didn’t feel nourished the way it should from something as simple and ancestral as an egg. Many people sense this disconnect long before they understand it, because instinctively, we know eggs were never meant to be empty calories. They were once one of the most nutrient dense foods a human could eat.
The truth is, the quality of an egg begins long before it reaches your pan. It starts with what the chicken eats.
For decades, soy and corn have become the backbone of commercial chicken feed. These crops are cheap, shelf stable, and easy to scale. But convenience does not equal appropriateness. Chickens are not designed to thrive on a diet dominated by soy and corn, and neither are the people consuming the eggs that result from it.
When you start to raise your own chickens or even just pay closer attention to how they are fed, a bigger picture begins to form. Feed matters. Ingredients matter. And when you remove soy and corn from the equation, everything changes. If you want to learn how to raise chickens, check out my Raising Backyard Chickens Bundle to get started.
Why Chickens Were Never Meant to Eat a Soy and Corn Based Diet
Chickens are natural foragers. Left to their own devices, they spend their days scratching the ground, hunting insects, pecking at seeds, greens, berries, and kitchen scraps. Their diet is diverse, seasonal, and alive. It is not a bowl of processed pellets.
Corn and soy are modern additions to the chicken diet, introduced primarily for efficiency, not health. Corn is used because it is inexpensive and energy dense, while soy is added as a high protein filler. On paper, it looks balanced. In reality, it is deeply flawed.
Soy contains compounds that can interfere with digestion and nutrient absorption. Corn is high in inflammatory fatty acids that alter the nutritional profile of the eggs chickens produce. When these two ingredients dominate the diet, chickens may survive, but they do not thrive.
And when chickens do not thrive, the eggs reflect that reality. Have you ever wondered why chickens lay different colored eggs? I share my blue and green eggs online regularly, and people ask how I get these as they are used to seeing white eggs. I explain the different colored egg phenomenon here.
How Soy and Corn Affect Egg Quality
Eggs are a direct reflection of what a chicken eats. This is not theory. It is biology.
When chickens consume a diet heavy in soy and corn, the fatty acid composition of their eggs shifts. The yolks become higher in unstable fats and lower in the nutrients humans actually need. Vitamins like A, D, and E decline. The mineral balance shifts. The yolk color becomes something that can be manipulated artificially rather than earned through real nutrition.
This is why so many store bought eggs rely on pigments to create the illusion of health. A deep orange yolk does not automatically mean a nutrient dense egg. Color can be engineered. Nutrition cannot.
When chickens are fed a diverse, soy and corn free diet that includes animal protein, minerals, and natural fats, the eggs become richer, more satisfying, and more nourishing. The difference is visible, but more importantly, it is felt.
Why Soy and Corn Free Feed Supports Healthier Chickens
Chickens fed without soy and corn often display noticeable differences in behavior and vitality. Their feathers become glossier. Their energy levels stabilize. Their digestion improves. Egg laying becomes more consistent and resilient rather than forced.
Soy can disrupt hormonal signaling and gut health in animals just as it can in humans. Corn, when used excessively, contributes to imbalanced fats and metabolic stress. Removing these ingredients reduces inflammatory load and allows the chicken’s body to function as intended.
Healthier chickens are not just happier to watch. They are safer and more nourishing to eat from.
Why Raising Chickens Changes How You See Food
There is something grounding about stepping outside and collecting eggs from your own flock. It reconnects you to food in a way grocery stores never will. You begin to notice seasons. You pay attention to what scraps go back into the system. You become part of the cycle instead of just a consumer at the end of it.
Raising chickens shifts your mindset from convenience to intention. Once you realize how much control you have over what goes into your food, it becomes impossible to ignore the role of feed.
This is where many people feel overwhelmed. They know soy and corn free is better, but they don’t know where to start. They don’t know what chickens actually need. They don’t know how to balance nutrition without buying another bag of expensive commercial feed.
This is exactly where education changes everything.
Why Making Your Own Chicken Feed Is Empowering
Making your own chicken feed is not about perfection. It is about understanding. When you know why certain ingredients matter, you can make informed choices that work for your flock, your budget, and your land.
A soy and corn free approach allows you to build a feed that supports natural behavior, strong immune systems, and nutrient dense eggs. It also frees you from reliance on industrial feed systems that prioritize profit over health.
This does not require a massive homestead or endless time. It requires knowledge, confidence, and a willingness to step outside the modern script.
How the Raising Backyard Chickens Bundle Bridges the Gap
The biggest obstacle for most people is not desire. It is uncertainty.
My Raising Backyard Chickens Bundle was created to remove that uncertainty. It walks you through not just how to raise chickens, but how to do it intentionally.
Instead of guessing or piecing together information from conflicting sources, you gain a clear framework. You learn what chickens actually need and how to create systems that work whether you have a small backyard or a growing homestead.
This bundle is not about following rigid rules. It is about understanding principles so you can adapt them to your own life.
Why Soy and Corn Free Feeding Is a Long Term Investment
Choosing soy and corn free feed is not just about today’s eggs. It is about long term health for your flock and your family.
When chickens are fed well, veterinary issues decrease. Egg production becomes more sustainable. The nutritional value of the eggs improves year after year. The system becomes resilient instead of fragile.
Food security begins with understanding how to feed the animals you rely on. This knowledge becomes even more valuable as supply chains grow increasingly unpredictable.
What to Feed Chickens Instead of Soy and Corn
A natural chicken diet includes a variety of whole ingredients that reflect what chickens would encounter in nature. Seeds, grains in moderation, animal protein, minerals, and greens all play a role.
Protein does not need to come from soy. Fats do not need to come from corn. When you build a feed intentionally, every ingredient serves a purpose.
This approach produces eggs that are deeply satisfying, rich in flavor, and nourishing in a way modern eggs rarely are.
Why This Matters Even If You Buy Pasture Raised Eggs
Many people assume pasture raised eggs automatically mean soy and corn free. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case.
Pasture raised describes access to the outdoors, not the primary diet. Many pasture raised chickens still consume soy and corn based feed as their main source of calories.
Raising your own chickens or learning how to evaluate feed labels gives you control that marketing claims never will.
A Return to Traditional Food Systems
For most of history, chickens ate scraps, insects, and whatever the land provided. They turned waste into nourishment. They were part of a closed loop system that benefited everyone involved.
Modern feed broke that loop. Soy and corn became dominant not because they were ideal, but because they were scalable.
Choosing soy and corn free feed is a way of restoring balance. It is a quiet rebellion against industrial shortcuts and a return to common sense.
If You’ve Been Thinking About Getting Chickens
If you’ve ever thought about raising chickens but felt unsure, overwhelmed, or intimidated, know this. You do not need to know everything to begin. You just need the right foundation.
My Raising Backyard Chickens Bundle was designed to be that foundation. It gives you clarity, confidence, and the tools to raise chickens in a way that aligns with health, sustainability, and tradition. Use my recipe for soy and corn free chicken feed, and if you want to you can even ferment your chicken feed! Talk about nutrient dense eggs! You won't find eggs like those at the grocery store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I avoid soy in chicken feed?
Soy contains compounds that can interfere with digestion and hormonal signaling in animals. Removing soy supports better gut health, nutrient absorption, and overall resilience in chickens.
Is corn always bad for chickens?
Corn is not inherently toxic, but when used as a primary feed ingredient it creates nutritional imbalances. Chickens thrive on diversity rather than corn dominance.
Will soy and corn free eggs really be more nutritious?
Egg nutrition reflects the chicken’s diet. Removing soy and corn and replacing them with whole, diverse ingredients improves fatty acid balance and micronutrient content.
Is making my own chicken feed expensive or complicated?
With the right knowledge, making your own feed can be cost effective and flexible. Understanding ingredients matters more than buying specialty products.
Do I need land to raise chickens well?
Chickens can thrive in small spaces when their diet and care are intentional. Education allows you to adapt principles to your environment.
Soy and Corn Free Chicken Feed Recipe (50 lb Batch)
Ingredients
- 20 lbs whole wheat berries
- 10 lbs whole oats, rolled or crimped
- 5 lbs hulled barley
- 5 lbs black oil sunflower seeds
- 4 lbs dried mealworms
- 3 lbs split peas or whole field peas
- 2 lbs pumpkin seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 lb kelp meal
Crushed oyster shell offered free choice separately
Granite grit offered free choice if birds are not free ranging
Dry Feed Instructions
- Combine the whole wheat berries, oats, and barley in a large feed bin or clean container. Mix thoroughly until evenly distributed.
- Add the black oil sunflower seeds, split peas, and pumpkin seeds. Stir well so the seeds are evenly mixed throughout the grains.
- Add the dried mealworms and mix slowly to prevent separation.
- Sprinkle the kelp meal evenly over the feed and mix again until the powder coats the grains evenly.
- Store in a sealed metal or heavy duty plastic container in a cool, dry place.
- Feed approximately one quarter pound per adult laying hen per day, adjusting based on forage access and season.
Fermented Soy and Corn Free Chicken Feed
Ingredients
- 10 lbs of the dry soy and corn free feed mix
- Non-chlorinated water, enough to fully submerge feed
- 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar or active ferment liquid from a previous batch
Fermentation Instructions
- Place 10 lbs of the dry feed into a large food-grade bucket or glass container.
- Add non-chlorinated water until the feed is fully submerged with at least two inches of water covering the grains.
- Stir in the raw apple cider vinegar or existing ferment liquid.
- Cover the container loosely with a lid or cloth to allow gases to escape.
- Store at room temperature out of direct sunlight.
- Stir once or twice daily to prevent mold and ensure even fermentation.
- Allow the feed to ferment for 24 to 72 hours. The feed is ready when it smells pleasantly sour, slightly yeasty, and bubbles may be visible.
- Drain excess liquid before feeding. The feed should be wet but not swimming in water.
- Feed immediately and discard any uneaten fermented feed after 24 hours.
Fermented Feeding Notes
Fermented feed expands, so chickens will eat less by volume while getting more nutrition.
Reduce the dry feed amount by about one third when feeding fermented.
Always provide fresh water, oyster shell, and grit alongside fermented feed.
